


Highs and Lows

by PointyAnimeTeeth



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: ALSO CHRISTINE AND JAKE FRIENDSHIP BC ITS PURE AND DESERVES A LOT, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Deere because I dont see enough of it, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, F/M, I love them all, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some Humor, Sorry Not Sorry, They all become friends i wanna make this a series uwu, current and post squip, expensive headphones, no beta we die like men, pre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-04-19 00:58:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14225646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PointyAnimeTeeth/pseuds/PointyAnimeTeeth
Summary: Michael, Jeremy and Rich have been friends since the fifth grade, until Rich suddenly stopped talking to them the summer after freshman year.





	1. First Encounters with an Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ny'all welcome and uhhhhh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, if it were any other day, Michael and Jeremy would've paid no mind. But it was the first day, and they were both anxious. The first day was always the worst for them both, they had to get used to new teachers and students and lockers and classrooms and it was just too much change for them to be at ease, so they were both on edge anyway. So seeing the Rich Goranski that they used to get high with and play video games with up until the beginning of summer suddenly hanging with the popular crowd was a bit of a shock to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haahaahahhaha hi sorry ive been busy for literally a year um um really really gonna try to stay dedicated this time i love yall

    Middleborough High School was just like any other. The social hierarchy was ever present during Michael's sophomore year, even on the very first day of school. As usual, he kept out of everyones radar, excluding Jeremy, of course. They made sure they had at least two classes a day together, and it's not like the counselors would bother with trying to reason with them about it (last time that happened there was an hour and a half long story about third grade where they only had one class together, and none of them were willing to sit through that again), so they had half the day together.

    Since it was their first day, it didn't matter too much if they actually paid attention in class, it was just syllabi and textbook distibution and the same old "I'm your teacher first, friend second," speech, and soon enough it, it was lunch time.

    Now, in Middleborough, there's an unspoken rule that the first three tables, closest to the doors of the cafeteria, were for the popular crowd. Table #3 belonged to the future valedictorian and the student council and the National Honors Society kids, lining up for every scholarship imaginable. Table #2 belonged to the jocks, mostly the football players, a few soccer and lacrosse kids and three or four baseball players on occasion. Now, Table #1, that's where _they_ sit. The royalty of Middleborough since 5th grade. 

    Let's start with some introductions. Jenna Roland was the gossip girl of the group, the Gretchen Weiners of Middleborough. She knows more about you than you know about yourself, even if she's never so much as glanced in your direction. You could drop off the face of the planet, but she'd find you. She knows things that no one should ever know, but she'll never tell. For a magician never reveals their secrets.

    Next, Brooke Lohst. She's the eyecandy, the pretty one. She's quieter and more rational than the rest of the group, and more of a follower than anything, but she' probably tied for third in the entire school for most popular. She's usually set as the one who calls the Uber at parties (they're sophomores, they can't drive, but when they can, she'll definitely be the DD). Whenever it's her turn to pick where to hang out, which is very rare, as they sometimes forget she's even there, she simply chooses the mall and some Pinkberry. She's easy to please.

    Third, we come to Jake Dillenger. Certainly the school's #1 role model, he has an almost 4.0 gpa, he's in as many extra curriculars as humanly possible, and he's being scouted by club teams all around the state. Even the freshman know his name, and they've only been there a day. He's second most popular, only right behind the queen...

    Chloe Valentine. Queen Bee, Prom Queen, Queen whatever else, all you need to know is she's the queen and you do not want to cross her. She's a force to be dealt with, and if you don't believe me, ask Madeline. She used to be a part of the popular crowd, but she got on Chloe's nerves. Now, nobody even speaks to her unless it's about another rumor spread about her. She can ruin lives with the snap of her finger, thank god she doesn't have a temper. She's #1, above all the rest.

    There's one last member of Table #1, who rose to the top so suddenly, no one knew what hit them. Richard (Rich) Goranski was a nobody until today. Nobody (except Michael and Jeremy) knew his name until September 1st of his sophomore year. Nobody knew if it happened over the summer or if he just sat there and started talking, but there he was. People gawked, people talked, people gossipped and blushed and squealed, and he acted like he hadn't a care in the world. Which was (almost) true. 

    Now, if it were any other day, Michael and Jeremy would've paid no mind. But it was the first day, and they were both anxious. The first day was always the worst for them both, they had to get used to new teachers and students and lockers and classrooms and it was just too much change for them to be at ease, so they were both on edge anyway. So seeing the Rich Goranski that they used to get high with and  play video games with up until the beginning of summer suddenly hanging with the popular crowd was a bit of a shock to them.

    What came as even more of a shock was his attitude towards them. Rich had one class with each of them, Honors Algebra 2 with Jeremy and AP Computer Science with Michael. Since he their algebra teacher wasn't even there (really? What kind of teacher misses the first day?) Rich decided to start up "his" plan. 

    They were writing one of those "Get To Know Me" poems as sub work, though no one was actually writing it. Jeremy was texting Michael as Rich strode over.

    Jeremy eyed him warily, already sensing the change in his demeanor.

    " 'Sup, Jeremy?" Rich rested his elbows on top of the desk and his head on his closed fist. "How've ya been, bud? Been awhile, huh?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes, hearing Rich's sarcasm and cynisism immediately.

    "Uhm... Y-Yeah," Jeremy glanced away, not exactly sure how to respond. Rich scoffed and rolled his eyes.

    "There's the fuckin' stutter. What, do you not know what to say? Is there a problem, Jeremy? Don't have your little boyfriend here to protect ya, huh?" Rich was raising his voice and attracting the attention from the rest of the class. Jeremy curled in on himself, the uneasy feeling in his gut growing as more eyes were watching him. 

    "R-Rich what are... Wh-Why are you acting like this..? I.. We were friend for years, why are you..." Jeremy looked down at his desk, which, for reasons outside of Jeremy's comprehension, caused Rich to snap. He grabbed Jeremy's wrist, digging his nails into his pale skin. Jeremy cried out, trying to pull away. "R-Rich you're... you're h-hurting me, wh-what.."

    "We were never 'friends'," he hissed. "In what delusional little world would I be friends with someone like  _you?"_ Rich let go of Jeremy's arm and shoved it back at him. "Get ready for this year, Heere. It's gonna be hell for you and your little boyfriend, y'got that? And if you  _ever_ say anything like that again," Rich leaned in closer to a shaking Jeremy, almost whispering, "You're dead." He pushed himself up and walked back to his desk, kicking Jeremy's backpack on the way.

    Jeremy looked down at his arm, seeing five angry red and slightly bloody wounds next to his tattoo. He quickly gathered his things and rushed out of the room, shaking terribly as he texted Michael. It was going to be a long year.

 

* * *

    Michael got his first taste of the new Rich the next day. After he heard Jeremy's story, he was honestly really nervous for his fourth period. He made his way there slowly, holding his hands in fists in the pocket of his hoodie and chewing his lip. After seeing Jeremy so worked up, he didn't know what to think.

    As he walked into his class, Michael made his way to the back, one of the last computers and sat down. He pulled his hood up and turned on some music, trying to keep himself calm. Of course, it didn't last long, as Rich eventually found his way over.

    "Michael Mell," Rich sat in the chair next to him, putting his feet up onto the desk. "I'm assuming you heard what I did to your little boyfriend, right? And, don't even try that, 'He's not my boyfriend,' bullshit. You're both awful liars, and there's no point. The whole school will know soon enough," Rich grinned.

    Michael bit his lip harder and tried to ignore him,  figuring it was the best option. He was wrong, as it earned him a smack to the face and getting the collar of his favorite hoodie stretched out as Rich pulled it towards himself and Michael pulled it away. 

    "Don't even fuckin'  _think_ about ignoring me, Mell. I can end you in five minutes flat, don't you fuckin' forget it," he snarled at him, almost like a wild animal. Michael tried his best not to, but he couldn't stop himself from shaking. Rich huffed and shoved Michael back, making him fall from the chair. "I told your little boyfriend the same thing, but this year is gonna be hell for the both of you, so get ready." He stood and walked off, back to his jock friends, who just gave him a high five and a "Hell yeah!" for his actions towards Michael.

    Michael slowly pushed himself back up and grabbed his things, walking out of the classroom. He called Jeremy and told him to meet him by his P.T. Cruiser. They had a lot to talk about.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo this took a turn I think I'm gonna like change a lot of this fic but i think you guys will really like it. I think ill be more dedicated to a thought out story like this, and i had a lot of fun wrotong this so i really hope you like it. The name will 100 % stay the same, as wilk the ships, stay with me, ill try to post at the very least once a month, thank yoy for sticking with me this long♡♡♡♡


	2. I don't know what I'm doing but I know why I'm doing it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich's side of the story, from summer to the first two days of school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone suggested we hear rich's side of the story and i hadnt even THOUGHT of that so THANK YOU bc this is gonna be pretty cool i think
> 
> ALSO TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE AND STUFF

Rich already knew exactly how things were going to play out the first two days of sophomore year. First day, he'd find Jeremy, beat his ass. Second day, do the same to Michael. He didn't know why it was necessary to mess with them or anything, but that's what his SQUIP said to do, and, in all honesty, he trusts that thing as much as he trusts his brother.

Now, you may be wondering "How did Rich find out about this SQUIP thing anyway?" Well, that answer is simple. But for the whole story, we have to back it up a bit.

July 26th before Rich's sophomore year, he was standing on a bridge in the local park at around 3 am. And even if you were just passing by, you'd be able to see what he was about to do. Millions of thoughts swam through his mind as he started climbing onto the ledge.

_No more bullies, no more dad, no more lisp, no more anything, get me the FUCK out of this life._   


He stood on the ledge, preparing himself to jump, when a man in a black hoodie pulled him down roughly, making the shorter boy stumble and fall.

Rich groaned angrily and looked up at the man. "What the hell, dude?! Why would yo- woah.." Rich's eyes widened at the man's appearance.

He was pale, and his skin shone in the moonlight. He had, what seemed to be, blue circuits glowing from his skin, and his eyes were without pupils or scleras, only the same striking blue overruling the entire orb. "I know you," the man's voice was monotone, overlayed with another robotic female voice. Rich's eyes narrowed. "You're the same as he was. He was pathetic too, a loser. He was so awful, so terrible, he needed a way out. Then he found me."

Rich couldn't speak for a few moments. This wasn't really happening, right? It was a stress hallucinatio- 

"This is no hallucination, Richard Goranski. I can help you!" The man- person? Creature?- moved toward him and crouched in front of him. They reached out a hand to Rich. "I am a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. I can give you anything you want in the world, all you need to do is take this," they opened their hand to reveal a gray, oblong pill. "You do that, then drink some Mountain Dew, and you'll have one of us." They smiled at Rich, as sincerely as they could manage. 

Rich was stumped. Anything he wanted? Could that really happen? His mind was in chaos and his stomach was in knots when the SQUIP pulled him out of it. 

"Why don't you just take it? You can decide then. If you do, I'll see you soon," they put the pill in his hand, and stood, turning on their heel before looking at Rich once more. "I sure hope you make the right choice." With that, they walked off.

Rich stood as well. Anything he wanted? What if the pill killed him? Or, what if it did what it was supposed to... either way, he would get what he wanted. So, did he go home after buying some Mountain Dew from the 7/11 with the last of his money? Did he sneak up into his room and take the pill around midnight and have to muffle his cries when is started working? Did he pass out when it worked? Hell yeah, he did. 

* * *

And that's how we got here, after a month and a half of brutal workout regimes to make him buff, they were finally at school. And, to Rich's surprise, the popular kids just treated him like one of their own. Honestly, he almost threw up when his SQUIP told him to walk up to Jake Dillinger, The Jake Dillinger, and say hi. He was expecting to be pushed into a locker or something. What he got was a "Hey, bro! You been workin' out? You should join the team, a build like that, you'll be starting in no time!" and an invitation to eat lunch with them. 

Now, that was great and all, but he'd forgotten what he'd been dreading for the past few weeks. His SQUIP told him it's plan, and Rich felt queasy as soon as it said their names. He'd have you start bullying his only two friends, Jeremy and Michael.

And, as much as he didn't want to and as crazy as it sounds, the SQUIP made it seem reasonable! It said things like "They'll forgive you," or "They won't mind too much, it's for the greater good!" And those words tricked Rich into thinking it was okay. 

And so he did it. He scared Jeremy to the point of a panic attack and probably gave Michael a concussion. He might not have been in total control of his own body at those times, but his emotions were still fully his, and he felt like actual shit. He's seen people scare those boys into terror like that before, hell, they'd done it to him to, but the look on Jeremy's face, and the amount that Michael was shaking... Rich felt like the worst person on earth. 

But, still, he grinned at the cheers and applause when Heere left the classroom, and he accepted the high-fives and no-homo-ass-slaps as Mell checked his balance while he stumbled to the door, and he knew he had to do this. 

He had no choice, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this one a lot im about to draw my own fanart ALSO IF YOU DRAW FANART OR ANYTHING PLEASE LEAVE aCOMMENT bc i have no tumblr or insta or anything sorry but please comment it makes my crops thrive

**Author's Note:**

> I love all y'all who keep sticking with me and y'all new people who are here to support and enjoy my fic ♡♡♡♡


End file.
